[Favorite Theatre Males] AVM Blog Party -- Day Five

Day Five: Favorite Theatre Males:

Come on. You knew this was coming....

Sydney Carton. (A Tale of Two Cities.) 

"Was failure born inside my heart?"

You all know how much I love Sydney, In fact you're probably sick of him by now. I've already posted about him here and here, so you're probably like, "Bella we knooooow." But I can't help it! He is such a sad potato.  He can see nothing good in himself. All he sees is a pathetic drunk who fails at everything he does. But he is just a very broken man. He wants to be better but that he thinks change is impossible for a man like him. Everyone in his life views him badly, everyone treats him badly, and his boss seems to make it his point in life to bash Carton whenever he gets the chance. And Carton believes all the horrible things said to him, so he has completely given up on himself.

"Where did all those stars come from?"

*I can't believe I found a gif of him!

Carton tries to be better after he meets Lucy. He tries to be his best whenever he is with her. He doesn't drink as often, and he  never drinks when he visits her or her family. Underneath the careless attitude his is really very kind, gentle, and he has a soft spot for children. After Lucy marries Charles, Carton asks if they might be friends, and Charle's agrees, welcoming Sydney into his home. He becomes sort of a godfather figure to Lucy's daughter, and that inspires him to change all the more. He has a slow, steady character ark, and in the end he sacrifices himself to save his friends. It is beautiful and horrible and it makes me cry. Carton is a very sad, sweet potato. I adore him.

2.) Raoul De Chagney.  (The Phantom of the Opera.) 

"So, it is to be war between us."

Raoul was my first Musical Theatre hero. He is a severely under-rated character, since most POTO fans love The Phantom, and therefore hate Raoul. I really don't understand the hate. He is such a cool person! You meet him as this charming young man who really fancies the Chorus girl, Christine Daae. He is all shy cause they haven't seen each other in ages and he is kind of afraid she might have forgotten him, but then he brings her in a flower, and Christine is all happy and she remembers him, just like he remembers her, and that old spark fires up again and.... *flails.*

Raoul is a very gentle sort of man. (can you sense a pattern here? I like gentle guys.) He is kind and sweet, and he is incredibly protective. (And the pattern continues.) When he realizes that the Phantom is a real danger in the Opera House, he does everything he can to stop him and make Christine feel safe. He defends her and stands by her, through thick and thin. He calms her down when she is practically hysterical with fear, and he supports her even when he doesn't understand what is going on and Christine is acting kind of crazy.

"Let me be your freedom, let me be your light."

Raoul is also very brave. He stands up to the Phantom and refuses to step back, even an inch. He braves fire for Christine, he braves drowning for her, he braves death for her. When the Phantom kidnaps Christine and takes her down to his lair, Raoul risks his life to go down and save her. When the Phantom strings him up with a noose and tells Christine to either stay with him forever or watch Raoul die, Raoul begs Christine to say no. This is only one of many times when he put Christine before himself. The man is a hero in his own right. He's fabulous.

3.) Percy Blakley. (The Scarlet Pimpernel.) 

I couldn't find any good pictures of Percy on Broadway, so I had to use the actor from the movie. I love the movie too, so I don't really mind using this Percy. He's great.

"There will always be perilous waters which someone must sail."

I couldn't post about my favorite male character without at least mentioning Percy. Percy is a very iconic character, if you don't know him you should start rethinking your life choices

Percy is one of those characters who is incredibly unique and mysterious. He's quite remarkable, really. He spends most of his day pretending to be an fainthearted idiot, but underneath his clever mask he is a strong, reckless leader who tears through France saving "aristocrats" from the Guillotine. He is ingenious, rebellious, reckless and practically fearless. There is nothing that Percy can't do, and you are never really sure what to expect from him. He fools everyone, he always finds a loophole, and he always has a second play to the second plan in case plan B failed. He even manages to play a trick on someone who knows the truth of who he is, and furthermore, was waiting for him! And he wins! The guy is fabulous!!

"That demmed, elusive, Pimpernel."

Seriously, if you don't know who Percy is it is time to find out. The Scarlet Pimpernel as a musical is really good, and I would also recommend watching the 1982 film, which is the one my pictures are from. That Percy is amazing, perfect for the role.

 4.) Curly McLain. (Oklahoma.)
.

"Who's the best bronc buster in this here territory?"

I really love Cowboys and the whole "Wild West" aspect of American History, so Curly is very special to me. Plus, I saw version where Hugh Jackman was Curly and that basically sold me on his character. He's a rugged, redneck American with a dangerous, reckless streak in him that you don't see in most men nowadays. He is the kind of guy you could see having a showdown with someone he really didn't like. (for example, Jud Fry.)

Curly is rough-around-the-edges, stubborn and a little crazy. He doesn't like losing or backing down. He captures the spirit of men back in those good ol' days and it is incredibly fun to watch.

Did I mention he has a soft side?

I FOUND THIS GIF AND IT WAS TOO CUTE TO LEAVE BEHIND

Curly may be a hard nut, but he has a big heart and he is very protective of those he cares about. His relationship with Laurey is sweet, if a little odd, and I adore.how cute and awkward he gets when he proposes. Like... Curly.

5.) Edward Rochester (Jane Eyre.)

"Will I not guard and cherish you as long as I shall live?"

Since I've already done a long and extensive post on this particular character, I won't say too much about him. Rochester is a bitter, cynical man when the story begins, but he finds Jane and, slowly, he comes to realize that not everything is lost. There is still good in the world, maybe even in himself, and there is reason to hope. He starts out broken and full of anger but as the musical goes on his character goes through an ark and he becomes kinder. gentler. He's a rough man who has a lot of love hidden behind his walls and he is one of my favorite characters in Theatre... and literature.


Who are some of your favorite male characters? Have you ever seen Oklahoma? Do you like Hugh Jackman? Have you read/watched the Scarlet Pimpernel? Do you think he is Faaaabulous?

Peace Out Y'all!

*swings around cape and leaps off stage*

Bella

[Phantom of the Opera] AVM Blog Party -- Day One.

Your Favorite Musical. 

Today I get to blog about my absolute favorite musical. I think you all saw this one coming.

Sing once again with me, our strange duet.

I think that no matter how many musicals I listen to and how many I fall in love with, I will always resort back to The Phantom of the Opera. One of my earliest memories, and I mean earliest is singing along with Christine Daae. The Original Broadway Cast is my favorite, it will always have a special place in my heart. It was the first cast I heard and I personally think they nailed their roles.

"Angel of Music, Guide and Guardian, Grant to Me your Glory!

Angel of Music, Hide no longer! Come to me strange Angel..."

"I am your Angel of Music. Come to me, Angel of Music."

The Phantom of The Opera is a very odd, kind of frightening story. I am not sure what it would be like to be introduced to it now. I'm sure I would like the music, and I know I would still like Raoul (because Raoul is fabulous) but I don't know if I'd actually like the story. It is weird. It is about this young chorus girl (Christine) who thinks the Angel of Music is teaching her how to sing. She thinks this Angel was sent by her Father after his death. Christine is very young - only about twenty or so - and her father died when she was like, sixteen or seventeen. It hit her hard, and to be visited by an angel from her father was a big comfort to her

"The Phantom of the Opera is there, inside my mind..."

Come to find out this so-called Angel is actually a crazy, dysfunctional man, 20+ years older than Christine who has this burning obsession with her since she came to the opera house. The musical isn't clear on the timeline, but I think Christine came to the Opera House when she was about Ten. It couldn't have been long after that the Phantom found her and decided she was the one. He hides in her walls and sings to her while she sleeps. He lives under the Opera House and makes paths to his lair behind her Mirror. He full on stalks this poor chorus girl, brainwashes her into thinking he is the Angel that was promised to her, and lurks creepily out of sight, teaching her to sing for his music. It's. Weird. And creepy. And really disturbing, especially because, at least in the beginning, Christine trusts the Phantom and actually believes that he is from heaven.

"That voice which calls to me, and speaks my name."

Poor Brainwashed child.

So what exactly do I love about the Phantom of the Opera?

A big reason why I love Phantom so much is because it is the Musical I grew up on. A lot of really good memories are linked to it and it makes me feel happy and excited. Another reason is, I really, really love the characters, the cast and the amount of emotion that comes through in that story. Christine is young and naive but she is also strong, and I love that about her. Raoul is so incredibly fabulous. He shows up at the Opera House and he remembers Christine instantly. She was the little girl he used to play with, the little girl he had a real thing for. He obviously still had a thing for her, and she fancied him too, and it was adorable. He was so protective. - Anyway, more on that later. I love the music in Phantom. It sweeps you off your feet and it transports you right into the story. The lyrics are beautiful. the characters are layered and complicated. The whole story is original and fascinating and unlike anything you will ever hear again.

Because you can't do a Phantom post without some kind of Christine x Raoul gif

Andrew Lloyde Webber really is a master of music. (even if he has done things I don't approve of.) He wove together a strange story with beautiful, enchanting music so that you can't help but get a thrill from seeing the Chandelier rise as the Overture blasts all around you. Even you don't see the Chandelier rise, the music is so perfect that you can practically feel it rising. It is such a wonderful thing to experience. It is one of the very few musicals where I will listen to the whole four minutes of just Overture because, THE OVERTURE. 

Perhaps we may frighten away the Ghost of so many years ago
 with a little illumination! Gentleman!

What I also really love about Phantom is the depth all characters have, Christine has a strange trust, almost an infatuation, with "The Angel of Music." She thinks he is her guardian, someone her father sent to protect and teach her. At the same time she is also afraid of him, something that is very clear almost from the beginning. Then there is Raoul, who is young and gentle, but fierce and even reckless when it comes to protecting Christine. Literally the best part of the whole Musical is the love story between Raoul and Christine. THEY ARE SO CUTE! The Phantom himself is a very sad, mysterious character. He is this broken man, a genius through and through, who heard Christine's voice and fell in love with it - and then with her. If you can say nothing else for The Phantom, he did really care for Christine. He never took advantage of her and, up until the Final Lair, he never physically hurt her. He tried to be his best when she was around. She was his saving grace, the one thing in all the world that he really loved.When he gave her up, that was his redemption. (That is why LND is so horrible. It didn't just ruin Raoul. It ruined the Phantom and Christine too. It destroyed all the characters.)

"Forget me, forget all of this.."

The Phantom of The Opera is the musical that I am the most persnickety about. I am really picky when it comes to who is cast and all that. I grew up listening to the Original Broadway cast, and that is kind of the feel I always expect the musical to have. I know the story. I know all the characters inside out and backward, and therefore I get irritated if people don't do them properly or choose to show them in a way contrary to the original masterpiece. Love Never Dies really hurt The Phantom as a story. So many of the actors/actresses today take the LND story line and use it to help fuel their performance. For example, most girls play Christine as very close, very in awe with the Phantom. They give you the idea that she could love him, she almost loved him, she would love him if she would just let herself. Here is the point of fact; Christine did not love The Phantom. She pitied him but she did not love him.

what kind of life have you known?

The Phantom is also portrayed very differently from how Michael Crawford did him. Many of the Phantom's now are very aggressive and overwhelmingly powerful. They seem to bring a very angry side to the Phantom and almost leave the rest of his character behind. He is a lot more 'shout-y' than he should be. I'm not saying actors can't bring a bit of power to the role. My favorite Phantom on Broadway right now is James Barbour. He is an incredible Phantom. He has a lot of power behind him, but he is careful to even out the power with a gentle undertone. He will crescendo and get strong but then he goes back to gentle, alluring, entrancing. He is a lot more gentle than most Phantom's have been recently and I appreciate that. He is right under Michael Crawford in the fabulous rank. (On Broadway, that is. I really love how my singing teacher played him...) I also really like like Anthony Warlow and Hadley Fraser. They have incredibly depth and strength to their voice. There is nothing wrong with that. And it is also fine to portray the characters in different ways. That is what is so fun about theatre, seeing all the different actors play the same character in their own way. But I do think there is a root that should always be drawn on.

For example. The Phantom should always be more gentle than powerful, particularly with Christine. He should always be more creepy than angry, more cunning than cruel. That is who he is. Christine should always be very kind and gentle (especially her voice) She should always be naive and a little carefree, but with a hidden strength. As for Raoul, Raoul should always be amazing and sweet, fierce and reckless... basically, just be Hadley Fraser.

Rawr.

I honestly think some of Phantom's appeal and beauty is being lost on Broadway today. It is too much about how much you can amp up the emotions, and how loud or how powerful you can sing. (This doesn't just happen with Phantom either, it is the Theatre world at large.) If I was introduced to the musical now, I don't know if I would like it as much, and I know for a fact that I would have very little sympathy for the Phantom. He is just too angry. I wish the Directors would go back to the original score and stop trying to perfect it and make it 'bigger.' I personally think a lot of actors let the emotion of the moment take over and they get pitchy or drift away the real melody. They are trying too hard and giving too much and they just need to back off and play the role as it is presented. That is not to say the actors/actresses on Broadway aren't talented. They are! They are incredibly talented! I just think with Theatre, less is actually more.

"You'll learn to see, to find the man behind the monster..."

Regardless, The Phantom of the Opera will always hold a special place in my heart, since it was my door into the musical world. Christine Daae is my dream role, and if I could play her, even once, it would be amazing.

What is your favorite musical? What are your thoughts on The Phantom?

PEACE OUT Y'ALL!!

*swings around cape and leaps off stage*

Bella